


Even All the Sad Songs Ain't So Sad

by cashewdani



Category: Sonny with a Chance
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2009-12-24
Updated: 2009-12-24
Packaged: 2017-10-05 05:41:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,893
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/38370
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cashewdani/pseuds/cashewdani
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"You don't really think that Chad was spawned from some other jerky teen heartthrob do you?" she asks Tawni when she gets back from <i>The Ivy</i>.  "Like, I was kidding, but now I'm starting to think about it."</p>
            </blockquote>





	Even All the Sad Songs Ain't So Sad

**Author's Note:**

  * For [cold_campbells](https://archiveofourown.org/users/cold_campbells/gifts).



"Chad, why do you think you can treat people this way?" Sonny screams at him after he had the _Mackenzie Falls_ cast invade their makeup room because one of the lights in theirs blew out. "You do have parents, don't you?"

"Everyone has parents," Grady informs her.

"Not if you're SPAWNED!" She screams again, and she misses the version of herself from Wisconsin who had never met Chad Dylan Cooper, and only raised her voice at pep rallies at school.

"You know what, I'll give you Randoms back your makeup room. Because clearly you need it more than we do."

"We don't want any favors from you, Chad!"

"She doesn't speak for me!" Tawni jumps in. "I'll take the room back even if she doesn't want it."

"Fine," Sonny says. "But only because I'm a decent person, and want to do _NICE_ things for other people now that's it's the holiday season."

"Fine. I'll tell them to clear out."

An hour later, they can get their reindeer face paint put on for the Rudolph sketch in their usual room, but her blood is still boiling.

+++++

Tawni's mother comes by to take her to lunch that afternoon, and asks if Sonny and her own mother are going to be wearing those tacky sweaters with snowmen and pom poms on them now that it's December. And so what if they are?

Sonny realizes that she's met Tawni's mother and seen Grady SKYPE with his, and Nico's brother calls him all the time, and Zora's father stopped by when it was her birthday. She might not know all of them, and they might not all have moved to L.A. with their kids, but all of her cast mates have families. Grady's is honestly big enough that it could be family for two people. But Chad never mentions any relatives. He doesn't have pictures up in his dressing room, and with all three of his phones, she's never heard him call anyone Mom.

"You don't really think that Chad was spawned from some other jerky teen heartthrob do you?" she asks Tawni when she gets back from _The Ivy_. "Like, I was kidding, but now I'm starting to think about it."

"I hate to have to say this, but Grady was right. Everyone has parents, Sonny."

"But where are they then?"

"Transylvania? That town the vampires come from in _Twilight_? There are a few possibilities." Tawni says, fluffing her hair in the mirror. "Why does it matter?"

"I guess it doesn't, but I'm just curious, now."

"Well, what are you going to do? Try and spy on him and find out...Oh no, Sonny, you actually are!"

"Pshhhh" Sonny knows her face looks exactly the way it always looks when she's lying. "Like I would do that."

+++++

She has no idea why she thought this was going to be a good idea because Chad is either being a gigantic jerk, or super boring. Seriously, how many times can someone check his e-mail on his phone within twenty minutes without it being insane? Because, Chad's done it at least twelve times, and that's absurd.

Sonny's crouching behind a potted plant watching him on the chaise lounge chairs, but then she starts to get a cramp in her legs, and before she knows it, she's tottering over and falling out from behind it onto the concrete.

"Oh, hey!" she says, all bright and chipper and like I totally meant to do that and no, of course I wasn't spying on you from behind this plant. "What are you doing here, Chad?"

"Actually, Sonny, what are you doing here, because last time I checked, this spot of the lot was reserved for talented performers."

"I was just...you know, around."

"Were you spying on me? Because if you want to get close to the ol' CDC, all you have to do is ask." He winks at her, and ugh, how on earth can girls be drawn in by this?

"Isn't the CDC the organization that monitors disease outbreaks? Because, there's a joke here, but I'm going to be a lady and not follow up with it."

His whole demeanor switches back to annoyance. "You know what, Munroe? I can get security in here so fast, it'll make your head spin."

She doesn't want the half hour of observation she's done on him to be totally a waste, so she tries saying, "Well, my MOTHER," she emphasizes the word ridiculously, "would come help me out. What would your MOTHER do for you, Chad?"

He's staring at her like she has nine heads. "Why are you talking like that?"

"Like what?"

"Am I in a sketch right now? Are either of those guys you're usually with going to come out dressed like a woman, because we've all seen that far too many times."

"I'm just asking about your MOTHER. Why wouldn't you want to talk about your MOTHER?"

"Sonny, I know it sounds like I'm caring about you to ask, but you're not having a stroke, are you?"

She realizes that she has no future as a government agent, and just asks, "I was angry before when I said it, but really, Chad, do you have parents? A family?"

"What kind of question is that?" He sputters out at her, going red in the face.

"Are you mad because it's true, or because it's ridiculous?"

"Because _you're_ ridiculous!"

"Chad, you've never mentioned them. Not to me, and not to Tawni, and not even in an interview. Do you know how often I talk about my mom in interviews?"

"That's because you give horrible interviews."

She tells him, "Don't change the subject."

"I'm not an orphan, Sonny. You don't have to invite me to whatever tradition filled Christmas thing you're doing. My parents are flying in. Next week."

She puts her hands on her hips. "How can I believe you? Because I know you would rather die than spend Christmas with me."

"Ok, so I don't have to bake cookies while we wear matching aprons and make a list for Santa Claus, come to my house the day before Christmas Eve. I'll prove it to you."

"Christmas Eve eve?"

"Yeah, whatever insane thing you want to call December 23rd, great."

"I'll bring a dessert!"

"Why am I not in any way surprised?"

+++++

She spends a really long time trying to decide what to wear to Chad's house. She's never been there before even though she's known him for over a year. He always has parties out, and dinners at restaurants and Sonny would honestly not be shocked if he lives in a stunning, modern place, or a bachelor's dump, or even an apartment with a coffin in the living room.

Eventually, she takes a suggestion from Tawni, and then wears the exact opposite of what she said.

He texts her the address at the designated time, and her mom drives her and the batch of peanut butter blossoms that she made earlier. Chad likes Hershey kisses, she knows, because there's always a bowl of them in his dressing room.

In the moments between ringing the doorbell and him coming to the door, she realizes just how insane this actually is. Chad's not her friend and his parents might be sociopaths and what on earth is she doing?!

She's almost ready to made a run for her mom's car when this older woman wearing a gigantic Santa Claus pin and holly leaf earrings open the door. "Oh, you must be Sonny! I'm Mrs. Cooper, it was so nice for you to join us tonight!" She reaches for the tray of cookies. "Come in, and thank you for these! Chad, Sonny's here," she calls to some other part of the house, and heads towards the kitchen.

Sonny wonders if you can sprain your jaw, because her feels like it must have hit the floor.

"So, Sonny, you're from Wisconsin originally? It must be hard to have no snow this winter for you. I know I always loved snow on Christmas morning."

"She doesn't care about snow, Mom," Chad says entering the room. He's got no shoes on and jeans and this long sleeved Dodgers t-shirt. Sonny almost doesn't recognize him. Then she feels overdressed in her dress and necklaces.

He reaches for one of the cookies, and his mother slaps his hand. "Don't touch, and don't talk that way in front of this nice girl. I'll make you move back to Iowa so fast, your head will spin."

"Wait, Chad, you're from Iowa?!" Sonny asks, incredulously.

"Of course, he's from Iowa! Oh, sweetheart, you didn't think he was a California boy, did you?" His mother asks with this little laugh.

"Sonny, let me tell you all about it while I give you the tour," he says, between clenched teeth, and pulling the crook of her elbow.

She follows him and tries to process how the same guy who has a masseuse on call lives in a place with needle points hanging up. "Iowa?"

"Yes, okay, here's the thing. I grew up in Iowa. My mother is in prayer group and my dad builds model planes. I have a sister and she's married to a guy who owns a farm and grows corn. If you make fun of me, I'll destroy you in this town. Do we understand one another?" He's glaring at her so hard.

"Why would I make fun of you? This version is way more delightful than the one I knew before."

"I hate you."

+++++

They have dinner, and his father wants to know all about her life, and his mother makes her have three servings of the pot roast she cooked.

And after awhile, Chad relaxes, and is joking along with his parents and he's smiling and Sonny wishes he'd be like this all the time.

She's liking them so much, that she even lies a little bit, and tells his parents that he's always nice to her, and offers to help her out whenever she needs it. And the thing is, his mother looks so proud, and like she's done a good job, that it makes Sonny's heart hurt.

After his father has sworn, up and down, while rubbing his stomach that these are the best cookies he's ever had, and how Chad should lock this down while he can, a pretty girl who isn't useless in the kitchen all the way out here in California, it's time for her to go.

Chad walks her to the door and says, "Are you satisfied now that I'll be taken care of during this holiday season?"

She leans on the door frame. "Your parents are lovely. I have no idea how you're their child."

"L.A. changes you, Sonny. You better watch yourself." And then he leans in and gives her a kiss on the cheek. "Thanks for the cookies."

"You're welcome," she stutters out, while he's waving to her mother out in the driveway.

+++++

Tawni asks her the next day what his parents were like.

"You would not even believe me if I told you," Sonny tells her, while reading the script for the week.

"They were that bad?"

"Couldn't even explain what happened, Tawni, for real." She flips the page and then changes the subject to whether it's too soon to be doing The Check It Out Girls sketch again.


End file.
